#34 'Nature Boy' by The Nat King Cole Trio (1948)

SONG

"I like the melody of this one, and I have decided that I very much like Nat's voice. This one is definitely worth a listen. Nice piano too :)" - LC

Written by: Eden Ahbez.

Producer: Uncredited (arranged by Frank DeVol).

Label: Capitol.

FACTS

• The back story of this song goes that a few days after composer Eden Ahbez presented Nat King Cole's manager with Nature Boy in 1947, Cole performed it live at a nightclub in Los Angeles. Before Cole even reached his dressing room, after finishing his set, Irving Berlin offered to buy it.
• Cole had had a series of hits in 1940s that appealed to a white audience. This was quite a feat as music at the time was still very much divided by race, and crossing over from black jazz to white pop acceptability was rare. Cole did it with style when this song became number 1 in the U.S.
• The original version of this song recorded by Cole in August 1947 was transformed by Frankie DeVol of Capitol Records, whose use of strings and flute to create an enchanting backdrop for Cole's vocals made the song a massive hit.
• Cole only does the vocals on this track and the piano solo is taken by someone else.

Recommended songs by this artist...

#28 (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66 (1946)
#88 When I Fall In Love (1957)

#33 'Good Rockin' Tonight' by Roy Brown (1947)

SONG

"As the title suggests, you can definitely hear more of a rock influence in this song, along with the  brass and boogie-woogie blues riff. I like this one, it made me wiggle." - LC

Written by: Roy Brown.

Producer: Jules Braun.

Label: DeLuxe.

FACTS

• Brown was born in Louisiana and had grown up singing gospel. Originally (if you can call it that) he was a Bing Crosby imitator, but he quickly reshaped his sound after witnessing money being thrown at blues singers in Houston.
• Brown's stage presence and versatility allowed him to establish himself as the most popular black singer in New Orleans. 
• Brown originally wrote the song for Wynonie Harris but Harris turned it down. He later covered the song and had a number 1 hit with it.
• Brown wrote the song in 1946 and performed it to boogie-woogie pianist Cecil Grant. Grant was so inspired by the song that he asked Brown to perform it over the phone to Jule Braun of DeLuxe Records in New Jersey. Braun was so impressed that he told Grant to give Brown $100 and book him into the Drew Drop to keep an eye on him. Braun flew to New Orleans two days later, set up a recording session and released Good Rockin' Tonight in May 1947.
• It has since been covered by artists including Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen.

Wynonie Harris's cover, which hit number 1 in the R&B chart:

#32 'White Christmas' by Bing Crosby (1947)

SONG

"It's hard to imagine a Christmas without hearing this song. I had no idea it was so old though. I definitely agree with this one being on the list, it has truly stood the test of time but I have no fear that anyone will die without having heard it, haha. I'm also pleased to announce that MY favourite Christmas song also made this list, but it's going to be a long journey before we get to it." - LC

Written by: Irving Berlin.
Producer: Uncredited.
Label: Decca.

FACTS

• The song's writer, Irving Berlin, was a famously terrible pianist and never learnt how to write musical notation, yet despite this he managed to write more than 800 published songs; a catalog of success which has yet to be matched by any other song writer.
• First drafted by Irving in 1940, White Christmas appeared in 1942, sung by Bing Crosby in the film Holiday Inn.
• Although this recording was released at the height of summer, its timing coincided with the escalation of US involvement in WWII. The song's sentimentality struck a chord with the soldiers parted from their loved ones and the life they once knew. The song reached number 1 by October.
• Five years later, Crosby was asked to re-record the song because of the degradation of the original master plate; it is this version we are most familiar with today.
• The song has been credited with 50 million sales worldwide and is, therefore, the biggest selling single of all time.
• It has since been covered by a variety of artists, including: Frank Sinatra, The Drifters, Elvis Presley, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Doris Day, The Supremes, Bob Marley, Dean Martin, Barbara Streisand, Otis Redding, Stiff Little Fingers, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, New Kids on the Block, Martina McBride, Chicago, A1, Bette Midler, LeAnn Rhymes, Dionne Warwick, Westlife, Twisted Sister, Taylor Swift, Rick Astley, Boy George,and Michael Buble ft. Shania Twain.

Recommended songs by this artist...

#10 Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (1932)

#31 'La mer' by Charles Trenet (1946)

SONG

"It's finds like this that  make this musical journey a rewarding one. Of course, being a huge Kevin Spacey fan (he directed and starred in a film based on Bobby Darin's life) and a fan of music in general, I am familiar with Bobby Darin's Beyond the Sea, but I had no idea that it was based on an original French song. Oh yes, and THIS is a TUNE!!!" - LC

Written by: Charles Trenet and Albert Lasry.

Producer: Uncredited.

Label: EMI.

FACTS

• Trenet wrote the lyrics of "La Mer" on a train in 1943 while travelling along the French Mediterranean coast, returning from Paris to Narbonne. He supposedly wrote the song in ten minutes, on toilet paper supplied by SNCF. 
• He was assisted with the tune by Leo Chauliac. It was originally published by Raoul Breton.
• It was not until 1946 that Trenet recorded the song, since neither he nor the people around him believed the song to be anything special or particularly original. 
• When he released "La Mer" in 1946 it became an unexpected hit, and has remained a French classic ever since.
• English lyrics, unrelated to the French lyrics, were later written by Jack Lawrence and entitled "Beyond the Sea". 
• This became a hit for Bobby Darin in 1959. 
• The song has been recorded by more than 400 other artists in many languages.

Translation
The Sea

The sea,

We see dancing along the shores of clear bays,

Shimmers with silver

The sea

Changing shimmers

Under the rain

The sea

With the summer sky

Mix up her white horses

With the angels so pure

The infinite azure shepherdess

Sea

Sea

By the ponds

Those big wet reeds

See

Those white birds

And those rusty houses

The sea

Has cradled them

Along the shores of clear bays

And with a love song

The sea

Has rocked my heart for life.

Bobby Darin's Beyond the Sea:

#30 'La vie en rose' by Edith Piaf (1946)

SONG

"This one is quite pleasant listening. Reminds me of classic Hollywood movies and the glamour of the 1940s. I bet I'll find myself humming the melody for the rest of the day." - LC

Written by: Edith Piaf and Louiguy.
Producer: Uncredited.
Label: EMI.

FACTS

• "La Vie en Rose" translates literally as Life in Pink, but a better translation of the title would be 'Life Through Rose-tinted Glasses'.
• Initially, Piaf's peers and her songwriting team did not think the song would be successful, but it became a favorite with audiences.
• An English version of the lyrics was written later by Mack David. 
• Owing to its popularity, the song appeared on most of Piaf's subsequent albums. 
• A 1998 documentary about Édith Piaf was called La Vie En Rose, as was the 2007 biographical feature film La Vie En Rose, which won Marion Cotillard an Academy Award for Best Actress for portraying Piaf in the film from the age of 19 until her death at 47.
• The song received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998.
• Artists who have covered this song include: Aretha Frankin, Audrey Hepburn, BB King, Belinda Carlisle, Bette Midler, Bing Crosby, Celine Dion, Cyndi Lauper (whom I am transforming into this Halloween), Dean Martin, Jack Nicholson, La Toya Jackson, Liza Minnelli, Louis Armstrong, Luciano Pavarotti, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Buble, Petula Clark and Shirley Bassey, to name but a few.

Translation

Life in Pink

Eyes that gaze into mine,
A smile that is lost on his lips—
That is the unretouched portrait
Of the man to whom I belong.

When he takes me in his arms
And speaks softly to me,
I see life in rosy hues.
He tells me words of love,
Words of every day,
And in them I become something.
He has entered my heart,
A part of happiness
Whereof I understand the reason.
It’s he for me and I for him, throughout life,
He has told me, he has sworn to me, for life.
And from the things that I sense,
Now I can feel within me
My heart that beats.

In endless nights of love,
A great delight that comes about,
The pains and bothers are banished,
Happy, happy to die of love.

When he takes me in his arms
And speaks softly to me,
I see life in rosy hues.
He tells me words of love,
Words of every day,
And in them I become something.
He has entered my heart,
A part of happiness
Whereof I understand the reason.
It’s he for me and I for him, throughout life,
He has told me, he has sworn to me, for life.
And from the things that I sense,
Now I can feel within me
My heart that beats.

Recommended songs by this artist...

#122 Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (1960)
Les Amants de Paris (1948)

#29 'Al gurugu' by La Nina de los Peines (1946)

SONG

"Definitely not my cup of tea. I love flamenco guitar but the singing grated me. I stuck it out though, just for my blog. Pretty sure, unless I'm held at gunpoint, I will not be listening to this one again." - LC

Written by: Uncredited.

Producer: Uncredited.

Label: La Voz de su Amo (HMV - yes, the actual His Master's Voice, so I'm guessing that the Spanish translates to 'The voice of his master' but feel free to correct me).

FACTS

• Pastora Maria Pavon Cruz, who was born in 1890 to a poor gypsy family in Seville, became the first major flamenco star of the twentieth century. 
• Today she is widely regarded as the greatest female flamenco singer ever (oops... I'm clearly in a minority then).
• Nicknamed "La Nina de los Peines" (the girl with the combs), she began singing as a child to help support her family.
• At a young age, she began touring Spain and her first recordings were made in 1910.
• She married the great flamenco singer Pepe Pinto; fleeing the Spanish Civil War for Argentina, they returned in the 1940s to Spain, where she continued her career.
• The song's title is nonsense. 

I couldn't find the lyrics and, therefore, couldn't do a translation. If anyone can help with this comment or PM me :)

#28 '(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66' by The Nat King Cole Trio (1946)

SONG

"This song is easy listening. His voice is so smooth and I'm loving the piano. This one is definitely worth a listen. It makes me think of a swanky jazz club!" - LC

Written by: Bobby Troup

Producer: Uncredited

Label: Capitol

FACTS

• Bobby Troup wrote the song whilst driving from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles, along (unsurprisingly) Route 66. 
• He wrote the song with Nat King Cole in mind.
• Although Cole's version of the song is lightly swinging, piano-led jazz and his silky smooth vocal stylings, artists such as Chuck Berry and The Rolling Stones have turned the song into an R&B (Rhythm and Blues as oppose to the use to describe urban music) classic.
• It has also been covered by Natalie Cole, The Cramps, Bing Crosby & The Andrew Sisters, Depeche Mode, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (whom I adore!) and Scatman John (# I'm a scatman! #) among others. 

Recommended songs by this artist...

#34 Nature Boy (1948)

#88 When I Fall In Love (1957)